1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to frame quilting machines which are large table-like structures used to sew patterns into large textile items; in particular bedspreads and quilts. The field of the present invention also relates to industrial sewing machine apparatus and processes used to sew patterns and stitching into large fabrics, which sewing operation is not easily performed on conventional sewing machines. The field of the present invention also relates to machines which include a method of duplicating a selected pattern over an entire bedspread or quilt utilizing specialized computer assisted drawing techniques.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Industrial sewing machine operations are known in the prior art. Patterns and stitching into fabrics is commonly performed on industrial sewing machines. The operator hand guides the fabric between the needle and the sewing machine table and the pattern is sewn into the fabric. This process is practical for small pieces of fabric and is commonly done on piece goods such as garments. When handling larger pieces of fabric such as a roll of fabric, a method known in the prior art is roll to roll sewing. The sewing machine head is located along an X-axis and the material is unwound from a roll and caused to move transverse to the sewing machine head such that the fabric moves along a Y-axis. The sewing machine sews a stitch into the large fabric as the head moving along the X-axis and the fabric moving along the Y-axis intersect each other. The fabric is then wound onto a second receiving roll.
When sewing a very large piece of fabric such as a bedspread or quilt, a frame quilting machine is used. The frame quilting machine comprises a large frame, usually made of metal, onto which the fabric to be sewn is spread. Commonly, the pattern is sewn by a sewing machine guided by a computer into which a predetermined pattern has been programmed. The fabric remains stationary on the frame and the sewing machine head moves along the fabric and stitches in the predetermined pattern.
The present inventors are innovators in the field of frame quilting machine technology. The present inventors, David Brower and Thomas K. Jernigan, have the following United States patents and pending patent applications:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,675 issued to David Brower and Thomas K. Jernigan on Aug. 29, 1989 for "Automatic Quilting Machine For Specialized Quilting Of Patterns Which Can Be Controlled By A Remote Joy Stick And Monitored On A Video Screen".
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,976 issued to David Brower and Thomas K. Jernigan on Oct. 31, 1989 for "Automatic Quilting Machine For Specialized Quilting Of Patterns Which Can Be Controlled By A Remote Joystick And Monitored On A Video Screen Including Pattern Duplication Through A Reprogrammable Computer".
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,485 issued to David Brower and Thomas K. Jernigan on Sept. 4, 1990 for "Automatic Quilting Machine For Specialized Quilting Of Patterns Which Can Be Created By Utilizing Computer Graphics In Conjunction With A Reprogrammable Computer".
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,483 issued to David Brower and Thomas K. Jernigan on Sept. 4, 1990 for "Automatic Quilting Machine And Method For Specialized Quilting Of Patterns With Separate Computers To Control The Stitching And Table Movement Functions".
5. Patent application Ser. No. 07/398,091 filed on Aug. 24, 1989 for "Automatic Roll To Roll Quilting Machine For Specialized Quilting Of Patterns Which Can Be Controlled By A Remote Joystick And Monitored On A Video Screen Including Pattern Duplication Through A Reprogrammable Computer And Method".
There is a need to improve on the prior art inventions of the present inventors by combining the features of those inventions with a method of plotting patterns. None of the prior art devices contain the features of the present invention which is the acquisition of images to obtain desired data (such as a recognized pixel count) to initiate or control the manufacturing process (such as stitching).